Category Archives: Escape Los Angeles

Mexico City, Part 3

Trip to Mexico, Mexico City Part 3: Mexico City has a signature park in the center of town, iconic in the way Central is for New York or Golden Gate is for San Francisco. It’s Chapultepec, and was within easy walking distance of my AirBnB.

Chapultepec Castle

One of the sights in the park is Chapultepec Castle, originally built in the 18th century for Mexican heads of state (read about it here) and now a museum. Also on a hill, so it provides some vantage points for Mexico City.

Some photos from the lovely day I spent at Chapultepec Castle:

The Frida Kahlo Museo and Coyoacan

The Frida Kahlo Museum in CDMX is literally the house she lived in with artist Diego Rivera, repurposed. It’s in a barrio called Coyoacan, which was a small town at one time but has been long since swallowed up by Mexico City.

It was about 20 minutes away by Uber. One of the great things about Mexico which I haven’t yet mentioned is that if you’re a senior (a persona mayor) you can take advantage of lots of discounts. I got one for the entrance to this museum which (if I remember correctly) was the peso equivalent of $1.50, so like 30 pesos or something.

To be honest, I did not know much about Frida Kahlo before going to the museum, which is odd I know because she’s so popular. You can read about her life and art here.

Here are some shots I took of the house and its contents:

Coyoacan

The neighborhood surrounding the Frida Kahlo Museum was also quite lovely – quiet, leafy, narrow streets, old buildings. A church and a square, a fountain (with coyotes, which is what Coyoacan means – place of the coyotes) and markets, etc.

I was there on a Saturday and some quinceanera photos were being taken while I was in the square. Here are some photos of Coyoacan:

I have some random photos of CDMX I’ll share in a subsequent post, so that’s it for Trip to Mexico, Mexico City Part 3.

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Mexico Trip: Mexico City, Part 2

Cathedral, Zocalo

Continuing on with the Mexico Trip: Mexico City. On the first full day in #CDMX my friend Jim took me to the Centro Historico, where the Catholic Cathedral is as well as the Zocalo (giant public square) and many other historical and Mexican government buildings.

I found it interesting, if not surprising, that the Cathedral was built in the same location as the Aztec temple (Templo Mayor, which is also being excavated, and you can go see those ruins). The conquistadores wanted to establish their dominance, and this was one way of many.

(Of course that is understatement. I don’t have the expertise or the space to really discuss the actual history, but hope to provide you some insight into my trip and, through the photos, how I look at things.)

Mexico City
A view of the organ at the Cathedral. Yes, it’s all crooked, your eyes do not deceive. Mexico City is sinking into the ancient lakebed – some places worse than others.

Mexico City
Another view of the organ there. Why so obsessed? I used to play the organ in church when I was a kid. Being at the controls of such volume is a little bit majestic.
Mexico City
Here’s a side view of the huge cathedral. I do love the agave garden.
Mexico City
A more traditional view of the cathedral and Zocalo in front of it. Taken from a restaurant where we went for lunch. The tan building and tents on the Zocalo are for an exhibition they were doing, making a replica of the Sistine Chapel that’s been touring the world. (Did not get a chance to see that, unfortunately.)

Museo Nacional de Antropologia

Not to be missed! One of the most regarded museums of its kind in the world, and hugely instructive for me.

I only took a few shots there, as I figured if I wanted to go back I could go online where there’d be better photos than I could ever do, but I did take several.

The Sun Stone is probably the most famous piece the museum has. It is from the end of the Aztec era and was buried during the Spanish conquest and then unearthed in 1790. For about 100 years it was displayed along the side of the Cathedral before being moved to a museum. You can read more about this astounding piece here.

Mexico City
The giant Aztec Sun Stone is the centerpiece of the museum’s collection.

I took a few other snaps of items I found intriguing there:

Las Piramides de Teotihuacan

I could not visit CDMX and not go to the pyramids, though they are a short way out of the main part of Mexico City (did I say it was enormous?). Anyway, I took a tour.

It’s all quite amazing — from the barrios you have to drive through to get there, which do show you some of the ways much poorer Mexicans live, to the pyramids themselves, gigantic as well as so numerous there are still lots of edifices half-buried under dirt and plants.

In fact, when this site was “discovered” in the 19th century, the pyramids looked like oddly shaped hills with dirt and vegetation covering all. It wasn’t until they started dynamiting it that they learned it was really a group of ancient pyramids.

Quite a fascinating story and you should read about it if interested. To get you in the mood, here’s a gallery from my visit there:

There’s an additional blog covering the rest of the Mexico Trip: Mexico City to follow.

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New Orleans Trip Photos!

In April/May, I spent a couple of weeks in NOLA visiting family. First trip since the pandemic upended everything! Wanted to share some photos I took both there and on the train (Amtrak’s Sunset Limited) there and back.

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Visiting NOLA as a Sober Gay Man

Despite its well-deserved reputation as a party town, I’ve never imbibed in New Orleans. I first visited the wonderful southern city in 1996 (as part of my journey in Wanderslut 1996: A Gay Road Trip Across America). I was living six years as a sober gay man by that time.

Blogger Jim Arnold eating shaved ice at famous Hansen's in NOLA. Sober gay man activity!
The blogger with some famous shaved ice at Hansen’s.

Mindset

When sober, you have to think of the other attributes of a place (other than the tourist stereotype) to focus on. In New Orleans, for me anyway, (on my first few visits at least), that fact that it had chops as a gay-friendly place — The French Quarter, anyway — that was a major attraction.

Old NOLA houses to illustrate a blog entry in Jimbolaya, Jim Arnold's blog.
I liked these frilly porches I found on one of my bike rides in NOLA.

Beyond that particular carrot, I think that your interests (as a sober gay man) expand after achieving sobriety since that kind of wild partying is no longer an option. You gravitate toward long dormant, or new interests – which for me include things like history, architecture and building history, music, food, nature and of course, my family.

Photo of coffeehouse Rue de La Course, in New Orleans, to illustrate author Jim Arnold's blog post about New Orleans.
Rue de la Course, a coffeehouse in an old bank building in Uptown, where I’d sometimes go to write.

Things I Did for Fun

The gay stuff: New Orleans has/had a ton of gay bars, most located in the French Quarter around Bourbon Street. I more or less did the requisite “stop in” but to be honest, there seemed to be such an emphasis on getting that drunk buzz that I felt uncomfortable and had to leave.

I had much more fun at the Club New Orleans baths (detailed in my book Wanderslut 1996) which, unfortunately, is closed now. Four floors of sober gay fun in an ancient building a block or so from the Mississippi! It did, at least for me, have a lot of answers to carnal dreams. I was sad to see it close. Every time I visit I hope I’ll find that some entrepreneur has opened a new bathhouse. The hook-up apps have ruined a lot of IRL gay culture – this was just another casualty.

Author Jim Arnold on the St. Charles streetcar in New Orleans, LA, illustrating his blog post on what it's like to be a sober gay man visiting NOLA.
The blogger on the St. Charles streetcar.
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NOLA was not all about sex, of course. There’s music – I went to Jazz Fest (usually late April every year) a couple of times, and also to clubs to hear live bands. I really love New Orleans style piano, so if Jon Cleary is playing while I’m visiting, I do try to go.

The sightseeing/history piece: New Orleans and the surrounding area is nothing if not historical. On that first trip in ’96 I did walking tours in the city, the Quarter and Garden District, etc. Later on, and especially once I had family living there, we’d go farther afield — to a Plantation Tour on the old River Road, a Swamp Tour on the Pearl River in nearby Mississippi.

Photo of a plantation slave quarters to illustrate Jim Arnold's blog entry about visiting New Orleans.
This shack is a slave quarters at one of the plantations I toured. (Laura Plantation)

The Spring after Katrina, my sister (who by now lived in NOLA) took me on what she dubbed the Katrina Tour of Destruction, which pretty much describes seeing the remnants of that terrible storm.

Lived There for a Month

In late 2012, I wrote a post titled “Is It Time to Consider Leaving Los Angeles?” — which my sister saw. She then invited me to spend some time with them to “try living in New Orleans” as a sober gay man for a month.

So I did, l lived there for a month in spring, 2013 – to see if I wanted to move there. What did I do? Write, exercise, spend time with family, see some music events, bicycle, went to a couple of recovery meetings, maybe cooked dinner, restaurants, a bit of sightseeing, even a trip or two to the baths. Tried to do pretty much what I would do at home in L.A. if I was there.

Photo of Jacques Restaurant in Uptown, New Orleans, from blogger Jim Arnold.
A restaurant on Oak Street in Uptown.

In the end, I decided against a move — but that, as they say, was then. I’ve never closed the door completely on that idea. It’s a fascinating place!

Photo of old oak with Spanish Moss in Audubon Park, New Orleans, to illustrate blogger Jim Arnold's entry on NOLA.
An old oak with Spanish Moss in Audubon Park, New Orleans.
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Bisbee, The Gayest Small Town in Arizona

The first time I happened upon “Gay Bisbee” was really by accident. I was a tourist visiting Tombstone on a road trip. Bisbee is just down the highway a bit, really the last little city on the road that leads to the Mexican border.

Photo of downtown Bisbee, Arizona, by Jim Arnold used to illustrate his blog post on Bisbee - the gayest small town in AZ.
Shot of Bisbee, Arizona – taken in the ’90s on one of the blogger’s road trips.

I knew nothing about it but it had a weird and quirky name, so I had to see it. It’s small old mining town set in a valley, with houses dotting the hills above the main drag, which features a lot of turn-of-the-century era (the 20th century) brick buildings. The population is around 5,000.

Bisbee in the Past

Bisbee’s original claim to fame was mining. The Copper Queen mine (now closed, except for tours) was one of the biggest mining operations in Arizona for the period of the 1880s till WWII. The town of Bisbee grew up around it, hence the preponderance of architecture from that era, not only public buildings, but houses as well.

The population has been twice what it is now when the mines were active. So what happens when there’s an infrastructure for a larger town, but the people have left? Well, that brings us to:

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Bisbee Today

It always starts with those artists, now doesn’t it? Kidding, but no. Really. Artists almost always need inexpensive living and studio space, and what better location could there be than an old mining town that has lots of vacancy and low prices? That’s a bit of what happened in the 1970s to Bisbee, and the galleries followed that, the coffeeshops and B&Bs followed that, then it was attractive to Boomers retiring . . . and you can guess the rest.

Photo of downtown Bisbee, Arizona, by Jim Arnold used to illustrate his blog post on Bisbee - the gayest small town in AZ.
Shot of Bisbee, Arizona – taken in the ’90s on one of the blogger’s road trips. Lots of houses and other buildings are perched on the hillsides surrounding the old town.

“Gay Bisbee” got its rep as a gay-friendly place by passing Arizona’s first same-sex civil union ordinance, back in the days before marriage equality. The town was already quite diverse and progressive – and continues that way. A bit of bright blue in a bright red state (which is increasingly becoming “purpler” and will no doubt become reliably blue in the future).

Bisbee in the Future

Boomer and other retirees? I imagine that trend will continue. With the popularity of AirBnb, the area will only get more popular as a tourist and getaway destination, a fairly easy drive from both Phoenix and Tucson and even El Paso. For myself, I look forward to spending more time there in those quiet, peaceful desert hills.

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Five Things I Love About Las Vegas

In a prior life (like, when I was still working for corporate America) I traveled to Las Vegas quite often for conventions and conferences, as it is probably the premier location in the United States for such things. There were many things I did not like about those trips, but here’s a few things that I did like:

Lots of Parking, Lots of it Free

I don’t know if it’s still true, but it certainly used to be that the majority of visitors to Vegas came from Southern California, and most of them by car. And why not? The city fathers and mothers, whether they were the mafia or relocated Mormon politicians, made Vegas an attractive, cheap, and close getaway.

Much to the delight of residents of California, who daily struggle with not only finding parking but also most often paying, in some way, for it. Vegas was wide open spaces, empty streets and parking structures with plenty of vacancies and nary a pay booth or parking meter in sight.

That changed a bit in recent years, with most Strip hotel/casinos still offering gratis parking for customers with the exception of (as of this writing in Dec. 2020) the Caesars Entertainment Group properties which charges fees if you’re not a guest or a Nevadan (Bally’s, Caesars Palace, Flamingo, Harrah’s, Linq, Paris Las Vegas).

The Monorail

Thing is, I like crowded cities that have mass transit systems – of some sort. Also hate inefficiencies when I see them. Like, for instance, long cab lines at the enormous Vegas venues.

Photo of Las Vegas Monorail to illustrate Jim Arnold's blog entry "Five Things I Love About Las Vegas."
The Las Vegas Monorail.

Good for the cab and ride share industries, maybe, not so good for you. Plus, if you’re there on your own dime, these fares can really add up. Which is why the Monorail was such a great idea (note, as of this writing in Dec. 2020, it’s still closed due to Covid).

Located just to the east of the Strip casino hotels, the Monorail is a pleasant, quick and relatively cheap way to get around the main hotel-casino-convention area of Vegas. There were/are plans to extend the Monorail north to downtown and south to the airport. Like with so many projects like this, the funding for such a project isn’t clear.

Perhaps Mayor Pete Buttigieg can help when he’s Transportation Secretary?

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

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If you get sick of the bustle, which can be overwhelming, there’s an antidote close by. Just to the east of Vegas and only a short drive from the Strip area (around 20 minutes) is the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

Photo from the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, illustrating Jim Arnold's blog post "Five Things I Love About Las Vegas."
Red Rock Canyon National Preservation Area vista – on a clear day, you can see forever.

Hiking, picnics, views, bicycling — many options are available in this pristine and quiet desert getaway. Oh, and they have wild burros living there, too. You might get lucky and see one or two.

Casino Buffets

These used to be something like “$1.99 for all you can eat” back in the day. Those days are indeed long gone, but I still love the buffets, and they are still a great value.

What I love about them is: they have a wide variety of cuisines, and you can usually find something that you feel like eating. Of course, it’s as much as you want, so you can keep going back with your tray. Most buffets will have a chef making made-to-order items, just the way you like it.

I’ve never been rushed through a buffet and have never suffered a line that was more than, say, fifteen minutes long. They are staffed, but the waitpersons only do beverages and things like napkins, silverware. You can make it as healthy or as indulging as you’d like, and I really like that freedom. (Note: if you’re reading this during the pandemic, be advised that the buffets in Vegas are temporarily closed.)

There is Electricity in the Air!

Finally, there is always that feeling of expectation, that something wonderful can and will happen at any moment. Perhaps that something wonderful will come in the form of MONEY $$$$$$.

But it might be something else, like a triumph in your business (which might also result in $$$) or an unexpected hook up (like I got a few years back, as told in my book Wanderslut 1996: A Gay Road Trip Across America).

Or, it just might be the contact high you get in a place where so many people are on vacation and literally having the time of their lives. Suspend judgment for a moment, and the feeling might be infectious (and I don’t mean Covid-19)!

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Amtrak Sunset Limited and New Orleans Walking B-Roll

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Recently I went on a train trip to New Orleans (Amtrak Sunset Limited) to visit my sister and brother-in-law and family. Went out there by train, flew back. This video is a compilation of some views from the train, especially in Texas, as well as some of the sights and sounds of New Orleans. Those are a bit different from the usual tourist things you see, as it’s not the French Quarter, it’s Uptown New Orleans where my relatives live.

I like taking morning walks, so I made a bunch of walking videos of the sites along my routes. Hope you enjoy the clips!

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When Blogging Takes a Holiday

Sometimes, you can’t think of a thing to write. I know this happens to me.

Sometimes, you can’t think of something worthwhile for a long time, and this happened to me and this blog. Not really one thing in particular, but rather a cascading series of events in the past year or so left me exhausted and uninspired, at least as far as blog posts go.

I thought I should acknowledge that if not explain it away, because nobody wants to hear specifics.

Good news is that I’m back! I took a train trip in late spring this year; a 30 day rail pass. I have some pix and some video which I’ll share from those, so look for them. Soon! I promise.

Here’s a tease, I thought this was an arty shot:

In the Sunset Limited in LA’s Union Station, waiting for the train to leave.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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And We Went to Guadalajara

Who? Oh, my brother David and I. To see it. Because I wanted to go to Mexico. Because it was his birthday. Because I was interested in seeing Lake Chapala, where large numbers of U.S. expatriates go. It’s pretty there, not sure it would be too stimulating. Chapala, that is. Perhaps you bring your own stimulation. Affordable most definitely.

So, to answer the question, is it safe to go to Guadalajara? I can answer that. Yes, it was fine. The scariest thing that happened to me over the course of our short, 4 night stay was that one night I had trouble sleeping. I have insomnia sometimes; I can hardly blame that on Mexico. (That damn Obama!)

The people we met there were lovely and they were POLITE. They had MANNERS. I’m not talking just about service people at hotels or restaurants, but people on the street. Imagine that, what a concept! Someone’s mama raised that country right. OK, there were dark alleys, I wouldn’t rush to venture down. There were lots of insanely armed police and security guards all over. I wouldn’t confront them. If you have a modicum of the usual street sense that you’d need in any place like L.A., NY, Chicago, New Orleans, etc., you’d feel pretty safe in Guadalajara. Don’t let the scaredy cat warnings you find on social media and from the state department frighten you. If you’re not going to confront the government of Mexico or the drug cartels, my opinion is, it’s as safe or safer than living in a place like I do, Los Angeles, where really bad things happen to people every day.

OK, end rant. Now for the pictures. I like taking pictures of buildings and parts of buildings, always wondering what is behind the walls, who built the building, who lives there or works there, what their lives are like, etc. So some of these are likely moody that way. Since I live in a place where everything is always new and very dry, old and weathered and moldy (as in lots of humidity) always fascinates me. So enjoy. I will comment on some of the photos directly.

UPDATE October 16 2015 – I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that the Guadalajara area can be dangerous to your health if you’re a member of a cartel or the military or the police. Less than a week after our return, this article on an arrest appeared in the L.A. Times.

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2015’s Best and Worst Cities to Retire: Escape Los Angeles series

Source: 2015’s Best and Worst Cities to Retire | WalletHub®

But is there a dinosaur park there?

But is there a dinosaur park there?

Here, this post from Best and Worst Places to Retire from WalletHub. There’s a lot of these best/worst lists around the internets, mostly of them total B.S. from what I can tell, as most of them come up with horrid small poor towns that no one actually would want to live in. This one however, seems a bit more comprehensive in that it lists the top 150 cities that scored on its metrics of affordability, activities, quality of life and health care.

So, since there’s 150 choices, and the city you are presently in is likely to be listed here. A lot of the usual suspects rank high, those sunbelt places in states like Florida and Arizona. It also comes as no surprise that of the top 25 cities in this list, only one is in a “blue” state — and that happens to be Colorado Springs at #20 — which, as you probably know, is a very conservative city in a state with more liberal leanings. It’s no secret that in the big cities where progressives dominate, cost of living is high and taxes are generally higher, too. (It’s called civilization.)

The first city on the list from California is my birth town, Sacramento, at #38. Los Angeles ranks at #95. Other places I’m thinking about: Madison, #68; Tucson #29; Milwaukee, #119. There’s a lot to look at.

Still, there are actually cities on this list you might want to live in, where you wouldn’t be the sole Democrat on your block and where you might find a gay bar or two. So take a look — even though in their criteria for activity rankings they looked at things like fishing opportunities and golf courses — like this is a retirement thing. Not sure that it is — I know no one who does either thing. To be it seems more like a retirement stereotype from the 1950s.

Since I don’t need the fishing hole, perhaps that widens up the choice list!

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